Toothbrush



March 12, 1946. D. R. ALLEN TOOTHBRUSH Filed Dec. 22, 1-943 grwe/wbom 11R? Z Zen Patented Mar. 12, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE TOOI'HBRUSH Dane R. Allen, Nashville, Tenn.

Application December 22, 1943, Serial No. 515,280

This invention relates to toothbrushes.

An object of this invention is to provide a toothbrush embodying a back with bristles secured to the back, and in place of the ordinary handle a loop is secured to or formed integrally with the back and extends oppositely from the bristles, the loop being of tapered construction. and adapted to receive a finger.

In ordinary toothbrushes it is very frequent for the user to place one finger along the back of the brush in order that the desired pressure may be applied during the brushing of the teeth. With a brush constructed according to an embodiment of this invention the brushing of the teeth assumes a massaging action very highly recommended by dentists for the proper care of the teeth.

Another object of this invention is to provide a toothbrush which will permit a child to follow his natural tendencies of inserting a finger in his mouth and at the same time accomplishing a useful result. J

A further object of this invention is to provide a toothbrush which will take up only a small amount of space so that it can be carried in pocket, purse or the like.

A further object of this invention is to provide a toothbrush which will snugly and firmly fit on a finger, the tapering construction of the holder or clamp providing a means whereby the holder will fit different sizes of fingers.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a detail side elevation of a toothbrush constructed according to an embodiment of this invention;

Figure 2 is an inner end elevation of the device;

Figure 3 is a top plan of the device;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan of the device;

Figure 5 is a top plan of a modified form of the invention.

Referring to the drawing the character B designates generally a brush member constructed according to an embodiment of this invention which has secured thereto or formed integral therewith, a holder, generally designated as H.

The brush B comprises a back body II! which may be formed of composition material, such as plastic or the like, and the back I is formed with parallel opposite sides II and rounded front and rear ends I2 and I3 respectively. The lower side of the back I0 is fiat, and the back III has embedded in the lower side thereof, a plurality of bristles l4. As shown in Figure 4, the bristles are circularly arranged or, in other words, the

bristles are arranged in circular groups so as to facilitate the brushing action of the bristles and also to provide for the massaging of the gums at the time the teeth are being brushed. The

bristles ll may be constructed out of any suitable material and preferably are constructed of composition material, such as cellulose acetate, which is known in the trade as Nylon. The bristles It, being made out of composition material, will not be effected by water so that a substantially standardized bristle may be provided which will be acceptable to the great majority of users.

It is well known that bristles made out of hair or the like have a tendency to soften up when wet, whereas, the composition bristles are not affected by water and will, therefore, retain their original resiliency and flexibility.

In the present instance, the normal handle provided for toothbrushes has been eliminated and a looped holder has been substituted therefor. The holder H comprises a substantially frusto-conical member l5 having the larger end thereof rearmost and the holder H is constructed out of the same plastic material as the back Ill. The holder H substantially merges with the sides I l and a portion of the concave top surface l6 of the body Ill. The holder H, as shown in Figure 1, increases in length, as indicated at H, at

the point where the holder H merges with the back III. In this way the flared or enlarged portions l1 comprise bracing means for the body of the holder H.

The holder H is open at each end and is substantially large in diameter so that a finger F may be extended into the interior of the holder H and may project through the smaller end thereof, as shown in Figure 1.

Referring now to Figure 5 there is disclosed a slightly modified form of this invention wherein a brush member B is disclosed which is similar in every detail to the brush member B, and the back I0 has secured thereto or formed integrally therewith, a split, substantially frustroconical holder H. The holder H is similar in every detail to the holder H, with the exception that on the upper portion thereof the holder H has spaced apart parallel edges l8 so that the opposite free portions IQ of the holder may enlarge to a slight degree at the time the finger is inserted within the holder.

The holder H is formed of material which has some degree of resiliency so that the opposite finger gripping portions l9 thereof will yield slightly when a finger is inserted therebetween. In this manner the holder H may be used for difierent sizes of fingers to a greater degree than the holder H.

In the use of this toothbrush the finger I is inserted within the holder H, the latter being of a size so that aportion of the finger will proiect entirely through the small end thereof. The brush may then be extended into the mouth, and the teeth and gums brushed and ed in the usual manner.

A brush of this kind, being open at both ends of the holder, will not accumulate any undesirable material, and can be very readily cleaned. Furthermore, by having the holder open at each end it will be apparent that the holder can be applied to diiferent sizes of fingers thus making it to make the holder out of rubber or other yieldable material.

In practice the toothbrush will be made in several standard sizes and each size will be of such construction that it can be used with diiferent sizes of fingers due to the fact that the holder is of tapered construction and is open at each end so that the holder can be slipped onto the finger for a distance until it fits tight thereon. With a holder which is closed at its forward end, the holder must either be yieldable so that it can stretch to tightly engage a finger, or it must be madeinagreatmanydiiferentsisestotlghtly fit diiferent sizes of fingers.

The construction shown in Figure 5 wherein a' yieldable holder is provided which is open at each end, the yieldability of the holder being formed by splitting the latter, will permit larger use of a single size brush as the holder II will yield for different sizes of fingers within a limited range.

I claim:

A toothbrush comprising an elongated back having parallel side edges, a fiat bottom surface and a downwardly concave top surface, bristles embedded in said fiat surface and extending therefrom, and a finger receiving tapered loop integral with said back overlying said concave surface, the taper of, said loop extending along the length thereof, said loop being of substantial length and shorter than the length of said back and having a longitudinally central position with respect to said back, and the sides of said loop being downwardly fiared adjacent the point of attachment to said back, the longer edges of the flared portions being adjacent the lengthwise edges of said back and having a length substan- 25 tially equal to the length of said edges.

DANERALLEN. 

